What does fly tipping cost you? Council figures revealed as east of England spends more than £4 million in 2016/17

A litter bin in Diss. Picture: Andrew Martin.

Published:15:29Friday 27 October 2017

Clearing up after fly tippers cost council tax payers in the east of England nearly £4.34 million in 2016/17

New Government figures show South Norfolk alone spent more than £36,000 clearing up after 680 incidents of illegal dumping.

The bill was even bigger in Breckland at £60,600 to clear 1060 cases but in Mid Suffolk because there were 324 incidents the cost was down to £14,137.

South Norfolk Council’s cabinet member for Environment and Recycling Kay Mason Billig said: “Businesses and residents have a legal duty to dispose of their waste responsibly. Using non-registered operators may seem a cheap option but your waste could end up blighting our beautiful countryside and costing taxpayers hundreds of pounds to clean-up. If you don’t follow the proper steps you could end up in court with a hefty fine to pay.

“If anyone other than South Norfolk Council collects your waste, always:

• Ask to see a waste carrier licence issued by the Environment Agency.

• Ask what is going to happen to your waste. You have a duty to take reasonable steps to prevent unlawful dumping.

• Record the registration number of any vehicle used by a private carrier, who will then be less likely to illegally dump waste.

• Ask for a proper invoice and waste transfer note and expect to pay a reasonable fee. An unusually low quote should be treated with suspicion. The council urges anyone who is approached by a rogue waste collector to report the incident to the council free on 0808 168 2999.”

David Burn, Mid Suffolk cabinet member for environment, said: “It’s anti-social, it’s dangerous and it’s costing our communities. Fly tippers need to know that we can and will take formal action.”

Paul Claussen, the Breckland executive member for place, said: “We all have a duty to dispose of our own waste responsibly and not expect others to pick up the bill. I would encourage anyone who witnesses a fly-tipping incident to report this to us using our online form.”